Officials: 2 Killed, Trooper Injured In Cannon Falls Crash

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Two people died and a state trooper suffered serious injuries after a crash near Cannon Falls.

Forty-eight-year-old Scott Reps, of Rochester Minn., is being treated for serious injuries sustained from the crash. Seventy-eight-year-old Norman Scott and 79-year-old Geneva Scott, both of of Cannon Falls, Minn., were dead on the scene.

Two others, 64-year-old Richard Groshong and 59-year-old Patsy Groshong, both of Marion, Iowa, suffered no apparent injuries.

The trooper, Reps, was responding with lights and sirens to an accident 17 miles away when the patrol car and a Ford Taurus, driven by Norman, collided at 2:30 p.m. Friday. The accident happened on 65th Avenue near County Road 24. Norman and Geneva died at the scene.

The damage to the cars is clear, and so is how the crash happened, said Doug Rechtigel.

"There's no guess work," Rechtigel said. "We know what happened."

Rechtigel owns the building in front of where the crash occurred. His surveillance camera captured the crash.

"Once we saw it, it was unbelievable how the cars flew and everything else. It was crazy," Rechtigel said.

The Minnesota State Patrol has the video. Rechtigel said it shows Reps, a 28-year veteran, driving with lights and sirens along 65th Avenue. Norman then makes a left-hand turn on to 65th, into the path of the squad car.

"The green car is the one highway patrol hit and spun around," Rechtigel said. "The highway patrol spun around, both spun around, about 15 feet in the air probably, and came to rest. The green car hit the Jeep. He was just coming from that parking lot, an innocent bystander."

The Scotts died at the scene. Reps was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries.

"Two people are gone, so pretty sad," Rechtigel said. "That's why you've got to be ready every day."

The State Patrol believes the front of the Reps's squad car struck the drivers' side of the Taurus. They will continue to investigate the crash.

"Our thoughts today are with the people involved in this crash and our efforts remain on figuring out what happened," acting Minnesota State Patrol Chief Lt. Col. Matt Langer said.

All involved were wearing seatbelts. The dash cam was working and rolling in the patrol car when the accident happened. The State Patrol will review both videos as part of their investigation.